I’m so lucky to live in such a bountiful place. We have a long growing season and the woodlands have wonderful things to find and eat. My family owns property near the Olympic National Forest. This time of the year mushrooms abound amidst the moss and fallen leaves of the forest. Chanterelle mushrooms are the ones I search for. Their mild taste is delicious and the yellow coloring is unusual for mushrooms. The key is looking for them between the warm dry summer and the freezing winter weather. The ideal time is when the weather turns to warms days with cool crisp nights and ample rain. The chanterelle will start popping up over night. I love going through the woods with my Mom and Sister. We walk over logs, through small animal paths, and old logging roads. With leaves falling all around they can be very hard to see. Looking around the base of large old coniferous trees between the crevices and roots is the best place to find them.
Here is what I collected… I used these flavorful beauties in a mushroom risotto.
Many mushrooming spots are coveted and well kept secrets. If you haven’t done it before there are a couple of places that will give a quick class so you can get up to speed on the mushroom hunting protocol. One thing my grandmother taught me was to use a mushroom knife (small blade). The mushrooms should never be pulled out of the ground. Using the knife to cut the mushrooms at the base close to the ground will preserve the area around the mushrooms which contains the spores for new mushrooms. Chanterelle sometimes grow in groups.
The Environmental Learning Center at Islandwood here on Bainbridge Island is giving classes for a small fee and then will take the students out to search on the grounds of Islandwood.
Here is a glimpse of our favorite spot.
